Emmaus Grove: The Growing Season Begins

“It’s not too early to plant some of our vegetables so today we’re planting leeks,” said Mike Bailey, master gardener and coordinator at Emmaus Grove: The Erie Urban Farm School. “We already have our potatoes, onions, beans, and radishes in the ground. And our garlic is growing so well from last fall!”

The other coordinator and co-founder of Emmaus Grove, Ellen DiPlacido, eagerly talked about the ongoing activities in the garden. Every third Saturday of the month the garden is open for neighbors to come in and learn gardening techniques and best practices. She recently scheduled a group of third graders from Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School to visit the garden. “It’s so much fun to have the kids here because they love to try all the things we grow – and just wait until they see a worm! They squeal and shout,” she laughed.

Last year, Emmaus Grove, which is located behind the Emmaus Food Pantry, grew over 3,000 lbs of produce for the soup kitchen and pantry.